CLUB TO HELP PROMOTE MALAYSIA AMONG INDONESIAN TOURISTS

The effort to promote Malaysia as a tourist
destination among Indonesians will be enhanced with the establishment of
a Malaysia Tourism Club.

Tourism Minister Dr Ng Yen Yen said Sunday the club would gather
about 6,000 Malaysian students in the republic to disseminate information on
Malaysian tourism products to Indonesians.

"The Malaysian students are our ambassadors in Indonesia and they can
influence their friends and the community around them," she told reporters after
meeting West Java tourism agencies here.

She said the ministry would set up the club in Bandung as a pioneer project
which was expected to start operating in two months.

"There will be an allocation for the club to carry out its activities. The
ministry will also conduct seminars to brief the students on the Malaysian
tourism industry," she said.

There are now about 1,000 Malaysian students in Bandung.

Ng said that the participation of students in the club was voluntary, and
the ministry would make sure that it did not affect their studies.

She said the club would promote Malaysia as a tourist destination by opening
counters during carnivals or festive celebrations at the universities and also
work with the Indonesian tourism agencies.

The National Association of Malaysian Students in Indonesia expressed
support for the club.

Association president Khairul Hafidz Al-Khair Khairul Amin, who was present
at a meeting with Ng earlier, said the club could help change the negative
perceptions of Malaysia which certain quarters had inculcated among some
Indonesians.

About 2.5 million Indonesian tourists visited Malaysia last year.